Press Kit

From 2010.igem.org

iGEM Boilerplate

The International Genetically Engineered Machine competition (iGEM) is the premiere undergraduate Synthetic Biology competition. Student teams are given a kit of biological parts at the beginning of the summer from the Registry of Standard Biological Parts. Working at their own schools over the summer, they use these parts and new parts of their own design to build biological systems and operate them in living cells. This project design and competition format is an exceptionally motivating and effective teaching method.

iGEM began in January of 2003 with a month-long course during MIT's Independent Activities Period (IAP). The students designed biological systems to make cells blink. This design course grew to a summer competition with 5 teams in 2004, 13 teams in 2005 - the first year that the competition grew internationally, 32 teams in 2006, 54 teams in 2007, 84 teams in 2008, and 112 teams in 2009. Projects ranged from a rainbow of pigmented bacteria, to banana and wintergreen smelling bacteria, an arsenic biosensor, Bactoblood, and buoyant bacteria.

For iGEM 2010 we officially have 130 teams participating and over 1900 participants taking part in the competition. They will specify, design, build, and test simple biological systems made from standard, interchangeable biological parts. The accomplishments of these student teams during one summer are often impressive and will lead to important advances in medicine, energy, and the environment. Teams will present their projects at the iGEM Championship Jamboree in November 2010.